Finding Your Perfect Island Theme
Every Animal Crossing: New Horizons island tells a unique story. The layout you choose — where buildings sit, how rivers flow, what themes carry across different zones — shapes whether your island feels like a bustling market town, a serene retreat, or something entirely your own.
The best island designs aren't copied wholesale from someone else. They're inspired by ideas you've seen, then adapted to your island's specific shape, your villagers' personalities, and your own aesthetic sensibility.
This guide walks through 10 popular layout concepts in detail, with tips on how to plan and execute each one. Use them as a starting point, not a blueprint.
Before You Start: Plan It Out First
Before terraforming a single cliff or moving a building, it pays to map out your ideas visually. Use a tool like Happy Island Designer to sketch your layout on a digital canvas first, so you can:
- Drag buildings to different positions without spending Bells
- Experiment with river curves and cliff shapes before committing
- See how different zones connect and flow together
Now, on to the ideas.
1. Residential Neighborhood
The idea: Group all your villager homes into one dedicated area, designed to feel like an actual neighborhood.
How to execute it:
- Cluster 6–10 villager homes in an organized arrangement, whether that's grid-style rows, a curved cul-de-sac, or radiating from a central green
- Separate each home with small gardens, flower hedges, or stretches of path
- Add communal elements: a park bench, a basketball hoop, a lamppost-lined street
- Consider giving each house its own small front yard based on the villager's personality or aesthetic
Why it works: A cohesive residential area makes your island feel lived in. It's also practical — you can visit all your villagers without trekking across the island.
Planning tip: Leave extra space between houses compared to what feels "just enough." In the actual game, houses need room for mailboxes and outdoor furniture your villagers place on their own. Tight clustering often ends up looking cramped.
2. Natural Paradise
The idea: Embrace your island's natural geography rather than fighting it. Minimize heavy terraforming, let rivers meander freely, and build around existing natural features.
How to execute it:
- Keep rivers in something close to their natural paths rather than redirecting everything
- Plant dense forest areas with mixed tree types (oak, pine, fruit)
- Create open flower meadows in natural clearings
- Use winding dirt or grass paths rather than rigid stone roads
- Allow some open natural space between each building
Why it works: This style creates an island that feels organic and peaceful to walk around. It's also one of the lower-effort layouts to execute — you're working with the island rather than against it.
Planning tip: The hardest part is restraint. Fight the urge to terraform every corner. The beauty of a natural island comes from imperfection and breathing room.
3. Modern Urban City
The idea: Transform your island into a metropolitan environment — think organized city streets, commercial districts, and dense development.
How to execute it:
- Lay out a grid of paths and roads that divide the island into distinct blocks
- Create a main shopping street with Nook's Cranny and Able Sisters as anchors, plus market stalls and outdoor café furniture
- Use apartment-style rows for your villager homes — organized, close together, facing the street
- Add streetlights, benches, and outdoor seating at regular intervals
- Consider a central plaza or fountain area at the heart of the city
Why it works: Urban layouts deliver satisfying visual density. Every area feels purposeful and active.
Planning tip: Grid layouts are harder to pull off than they look because ACNH's terrain doesn't perfectly support right angles. Use the digital planner to work out your road grid before placing a single path tile in-game.
4. Japanese Zen Garden
The idea: Create a peaceful, minimalist retreat inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics.
How to execute it:
- Design a rock garden (gravel-style sand paths with strategically placed stones)
- Plant bamboo groves in natural-looking clusters
- Build a koi pond or winding garden stream
- Use wooden bridges and bamboo fences throughout
- Add cherry blossom (pink) trees, especially in a dedicated viewing area
- Incorporate a small meditation pavilion or shrine area
Why it works: This theme is consistently one of the most beloved in the ACNH community because it's visually serene and deeply photogenic. Cherry blossom season (in-game spring) takes this theme to another level.
Planning tip: Use the wooden path type for bridges and step-stone paths between areas. The zen fence and bamboo fence items are your best friends for defining areas without breaking the aesthetic.
5. Coastal Beach Resort
The idea: Lean into your island's coastal location. Turn the beaches and surrounding areas into a vacation destination.
How to execute it:
- Set up beach bar areas with surfboards, tiki torches, and lounge chairs
- Build a boardwalk along the beach using the wooden path pattern
- Plant rows of palm trees (coconut, banana) along the shore
- Create a beach volleyball setup or outdoor stage for events
- Use the sand path to extend beach aesthetics inland into a resort-style zone
- Add a beach shop or rental hut vibe near the water
Why it works: Every island has beaches, but most players ignore them as prime real estate. A resort layout makes your beach areas something you actually want to spend time in.
Planning tip: Rocks on the beach are permanent and can limit furniture placement. Account for them in your plan rather than trying to work around them after you've committed to a layout.
6. Fairytale Kingdom
The idea: Build a whimsical magical world — enchanted forests, castle aesthetics, mystical gardens.
How to execute it:
- Use elevated areas (level 2–3 cliffs) for castle-like structures and towers
- Create a grand entrance archway leading into the main island from the airport
- Design enchanted forest paths with golden mushroom lamps and flower arches
- Add a secret garden — a walled area with rare flowers and a simple fountain
- Use event furniture (from Halloween, Toy Day, etc.) to add whimsical touches
Why it works: The vertical space of cliffs works naturally to create "castle on a hill" effects. The drama of walking up an incline into a fortified area feels genuinely magical.
Planning tip: The castle wall furniture item and natural cliffsides work well together. You can suggest the impression of a castle without needing actual castle furniture.
7. Farm and Cottagecore Island
The idea: Create a rural, pastoral island with fields, orchards, and a cozy homestead feel.
How to execute it:
- Organize your fruit trees into tidy orchard rows (one fruit type per row works well)
- Create a dedicated vegetable garden zone with flower patches standing in for crops
- Use the wooden path and dirt path types for rustic farm roads
- Add barn-like structures using furniture
- Designate areas for different crops or flowers, separated by simple wooden fences
- Include a farmhouse-style main home with a vegetable patch in front
Why it works: Cottagecore is a deeply aesthetic theme that photographs beautifully and makes for extremely pleasant daily gameplay — wandering through orchards and tending your gardens.
Planning tip: Think about a "working farm" layout. Where does the farmer (you) walk each day? Design the paths around those natural routes.
8. Museum Cultural District
The idea: Make your museum the centerpiece of a larger cultural area — surround it with outdoor exhibits, gardens, and educational spaces.
How to execute it:
- Place your museum on elevated ground for a "grand institution" feel
- Create a museum plaza in front with symmetrical flower beds and stone paths
- Design themed outdoor exhibit areas: a fossil garden, a butterfly meadow, an aquarium overlook
- Add a café or visitor center nearby
- Create a separate outdoor gallery area with art items on display
Why it works: The Museum is one of the most architecturally impressive buildings in ACNH. Giving it a proper surrounding context makes the whole area feel special rather than just plopped down.
Planning tip: The area in front of your museum benefits enormously from symmetry. A mirrored flower bed and lamp post arrangement on either side of the entrance creates an instantly elegant look.
9. Campsite Adventure Zone
The idea: Build an expansive outdoor adventure area around or near your campsite, with hiking trails and nature exploration.
How to execute it:
- Expand the campsite area with camping furniture: tents, fire pits, picnic tables
- Create marked hiking trails using dirt path winding through forest areas
- Build scenic overlook spots on elevated cliffs
- Design a birdwatching or nature observation area
- Add a ranger station vibe near the entrance
- Create a star-gazing clearing away from the main buildings
Why it works: The campsite is often an afterthought, tucked in a corner. Making it a destination creates a fun mini-zone with a distinct outdoorsy energy.
Planning tip: Cliffs are essential here. A lookout point that requires walking up an incline to reach feels genuinely like a hike reward.
10. Seasonal Festival Island
The idea: Design your island for celebrations — organized around a central event space that transforms with each seasonal update.
How to execute it:
- Create a large central festival plaza near Resident Services with open space for seasonal decorations
- Design a performance stage area with audience seating
- Add a seasonal market street that can be swapped out based on the current holiday
- Include year-round permanent elements: fireworks viewing spots near the beach, a street fair corridor with stalls
- Leave strategic open plots for seasonal décor from events
Why it works: This layout is "alive" throughout the year. It's designed to feel different depending on when you (or visitors) come, since different seasonal items fill in the flexible spaces.
Planning tip: The secret to this theme is intentional empty space. Resist filling every gap — those blank areas are your seasonal canvas.
Mixing Themes: The Most Interesting Islands Are Hybrids
The most memorable ACNH islands don't pick just one of the above themes — they mix several into distinct zones. A common approach:
| Zone | Theme |
|---|---|
| North | Natural forest and nature preserve |
| Center | Urban commercial district and plaza |
| Residential area | Organized neighborhood |
| South beach | Coastal beach resort |
| Secret cliff top | Zen garden or personal retreat |
Zoning your island this way gives it a sense of scale and discovery. Walking from one zone to another feels like moving between neighborhoods in a real place.
How to Plan Your Layout Before Building
Whichever theme or mix of themes you choose, plan it visually before you start:
- Open Happy Island Designer and recreate your island's starting shape
- Mark fixed elements: airport, Resident Services, river mouths
- Drag buildings into your planned zones and see how they feel from above
- Draw your rivers and cliffs to match the theme you're going for
- Trace your path network — make sure every area connects logically
- Screenshot your plan and use it as reference while you build
Experimenting on a planner costs nothing. Moving a building in-game costs 50,000 Bells every time. Plan first.
Conclusion
The best island layout is the one that makes you want to log in every day. That might be a tidy city, a wild natural paradise, a cozy farm, or something that has never been done before.
Use these 10 ideas as a creative springboard. Combine what appeals to you, add your own personality, and design an island that tells your story.
Ready to start planning? Open Happy Island Designer and start sketching your layout today.
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